Server for slices of bread and the like



July 24, 1928.

w. V AN SICKLE SERVER FOR SLICES OF BREAD AND THE LIKE Original Filed -June 24, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W/Lro/v 'In/vJ/c/u I INVENTOR.

BY ATTORm July 24, 1928.

. 1,677,938 w. VAN SICKLE SERVER FOR SLICES 0F BREAD AND THE LIKE Original Filed June 24, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 h l-L on' l n/Y5/c/rz5 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

' tray and to Patented July 24, 1928.

- UNITED STATES WILTON VAN SIGKLE, OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA.

ennvnn FOB SLICEB OF BREAD AND THE LIKE.

Application fled June 24, 1984, Serial No. 722,101. Renewed April 12,1928.

My invention relates to devicesfor serving or dispensing slices of bread and the like in cafeterias and similar places ofbusrness where the patrons serve themselves.

The usual practice in serving bread in cafeterias is to place the bread slices on a cover the slices with a towel and tray where the patron can help himself while gatherin the various articles of food for his lunch. read so placed tends to (1 out on the surface and when it is slight y dried in this manner it is apt to be rejected by the patron. After the slices have been picked up and rejected by a number of patrons the become so unattractive that they must be t rown away. The waste from this source with the tray method of to place the serving, is estimated to.be at least twenty per cent. The objections to the unsanitary features of the tray service are even greater than the objections to the waste.

In brief, the object of my invention is the rovision of a server which is perfectly saniry, and from which the bread may be served without any waste whatever. It is also one of my objects to so design the server that cookies, doughnuts, slices of cake and sandwiches may be dispensed therefrom.

Furthermore it is my object to make the server in the form of a very ornamental article of cafeteria furniture which can be made and sold at a pricewhich is very attractive when considered with regard to the savings which it effects.

Havin in view these objects and others which w1 be mentioned in the description, I will now refer to the drawings, in which -Figure 1 is a view in perspective ,of my server. a

Figure 2 is a cross section of the base, lower portion and back of the server.

Figure 3 is a view in perspective of both the gate and the plate for adjusting the size of the opening through which the-slices of bread are withdrawn.

Figure 4.- is a view in perspective of the .gate hinge.

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of the rear portion of the slide.

Figure 6 is a sectional view showing the means for securing the partitions at their upper and lower edges.

The server rests on or rather is secured to a base 10 which raises the operative parts of the server to a convenient height above.

the table or counter or other support. The

back of the server.

base is hollow, a portion of the back-and.

the entire bottom being open. The hollow portlon of the base receives the springs which return the slides and it also serves as a receptacle for the crumbs which work off from the bread slices.

Of the server proper, the bottom rear wall 11 and the bottom side walls 12 are rigidly secured to the base 10 on the upper surface thereof. The forward portions of the side walls 12 are wider than the rearward portlons. Walls 13 and .14 are also provided for the bottom portion of the server proper but both of these walls have their lower edges spaced from the base 10. The front wa l 13 is in the form of a bar uniting the front upper corners of the two side plates 12.. The rear wall 14 is in the form shown in section in Figure 2, having a shoulder which serves as a seat-for the closureat the The wall 14 is also provided with two cars 14 whereby the wall 14 is secured by welding or otherise to both of the side walls 12 at the rear edges of the widest portions thereof. Partition walls 15 are also secured to the base 10, these partition walls serving as supports for the glass partitionsbetween the compartments.

The construction thus far described is into al since all of the parts are united by wel ing or soldering. Furthermore, they are heavily plated with nickel or the like, which still further obliterates the scams or joints. The wall 12 may be made from one stri of metal and without avertical joint or 1t may be made of two separate parts. In the latter case the forward 'part is simi- -lar in form to the partitions 15.

The upper edges of the partitions are concave as shown 1n Figure 6 as are also the upper edges of the forward portions of the side walls 12. The bread receptacle is rectangular in section, having glass walls 16 at its two sides, a glass wall 17 in its front and a glass wall 18 at its rear, the rear wall 18 bein removable to give access to the interioro thereceptacle. The partition walls 19, also made of glass plates, divide the receptacle into compartments.- The metal cover 20 covers the receptacle. My server embodies a n mber of novel features in the structures for assembling these parts in rigid relation.

The partition plates 15 as well as the 16 and partitions 19'have convex lower edges so that when the end walls 16 and partitions 19 are in place they are interlocked at their lower edges with their respective supports. The top cover 20 is provided on its under surface with pairs of angle members 21, the members of each pair being spaced so as to receive therebetween the up-' per edge of an end wall 16 or of a partition 19.

The top cover 20 is also provided with downwardly projecting flanges 22 annd 23 at its front and rear respectively. The front glass wall 17 rests on the bar 13 and its. up-

. 23. The rear wall 18, as shown in Figure 2,

is so proportioned that it can be lifted to clear the lower flange so that it can be removed to give access to the interior of the receptacle as when refilling one or more of the compartments. For convenience in removing the rear wall 18, I provide a hook 24 which facilitates the handling of the glass wall.

At each corner of the bread receptacle is a rod 25 extending through the top cover 20 and through the top of the base 10. The upper projecting portion of each rod 25 is screw threaded and is provided with a nut 26. When thus assembled all of the parts are so rigidly and firmly united that no part can be displaced with the roughest treatment which the server is likely to receive. I When it is desired to clean the partitions and walls however, these parts may be easily and guickly removed by simply removing the our nuts 26.

The slices of bread are delivered through an opening in the bread receptacle below the bar 13. For thus delivering the slices individually without their being touched by the hands, I provide a delivery slide '26. The slide 26 extends through the bread receptacle and to the back wall of the chamber in the rear of the bread receptacles, and it has an angled vertical wall 27 which is positioned in substantial alignment with the wall 18 when the slide is at rest. For actuating the slide, its forward end is downturned at 28 and is preferably folded upon itself as shown in Figure 2. The slides are also turned down at their lateral ed es at 29 to provide runners. The slide is rawn forward by grasping it with the thumb and forefinger but it is retracted-by the spring 30 whlch is-secured toa fixed part of the base 10 and to a sprin support 31 on the slide. The slide is 0th u turned and downturned at its rear end as s own in Figures 2 and 5. When the slide is drawn forward the upturned ears at the rear end of the slide engage the downwardl projecting portion of the wall 14 to limit the for-v ward movement of the slide. The spring 30 retracts the slide rather forcibly and to prevent injury to the various parts the downturned ear at the rear end of the slide is caused to engage a resilient buffer 32 to absorb the shock.

.The delivery openings at the front of the .receptacles are wide enough to permit the passage therethrou h of sandwiches or,

doughnuts or other ood articles having considerable thickness. If however the receptacles were filled with thin slices of bread or the like, these openings would be found to be so wide as to let through two or more slices of bread at a time withthe possibility of causing choking in the dellyery. In order to avoid these difficulties fadjust the width of the openings by means of theplate 33, the plate being provided with slots throu h which'the screws 34 pass for holding t e plate in adjusted position. The screws 34 also support the'hinges35 to which the gate 36 is pivotally connected. The hinge 35 and the gate 36 thus have fixed positions regardless of the adjustment of the plate 33, the result being that at all times the gate is adapted to entirely close.

the opening regardless of the adjustment in the size of the opening.

The cover 37 is adapted to close the opening in the rear part of the server. The cover is flan ed on its rear and lateral edges and is ma e removable so as to give accessto the interior. The top wall of the base 10 is rovided with an aperture 39 for receiving read crumbs which arecarried rearwardly under the action of the spring. The lower ortion of the rear wall of the base 10 is eft open, the construction making it possible to introduce receptacles under the apertures 39 for receiving the bread crumbs.

, From the foregoing descri tion it will be seen that the slices of 'brea are delivered to the atron in perfectly sanitary condition since t 'e cannot be handled by other patrons. ntil delivery of the bread slices, they are in contact with metal and glass only, both of which are easily maintained in sanitary'condition. The structure of the server is such that all of the parts may be individually removed so that they can easil be cleaned. The use of the server also eliminates entirely the waste of bread and other pastries which reaches ve large proportions in the ordinary met ods of servin bread. The bread slices are kept in a close container, even the outlet being normally closed, so that there.is no waste from the bread d ing out. Even the crumbs which are near a segregate 1n my server and are kept in such condition that they can be easily used always regarded as waste, are. l

in the kitchen. The greatest saving however is due to the fact that the slices of bread cannot be repeatedly handled and'thus fouled by the patrons.

In my drawings I have shown the server with six compartments, but it is obvious that the number of compartments may be varied as desired. The rear wall 18 which also serves as a door for the rear openin is made of heavy plate glass. To facilltate the ease of handling it when refilling the compartments, I construct the rear wall 18 in the form of two or more sections, depending on the number of compartments in the server.- When there are three or less of these compartments a single piece of glass will be found to be light enough for convenient handling. When the rear wall 18 is formed in sections the meeting edges of the sections are positioned in alignment with the edge of a partition wall 19.

Having thus described my invention in terms which will be readily understood by others skilled in the art to which it pertains, what I believe to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is In a serving machine for slices of bread and like articles, a base, a receptacle on the base for housing slices of bread in a vertical stack, a slide on the base in the lower end of the receptacle to traverse the bottom of said stack, said slide comprising a flat member .oflfset intermediate its ends to provide av tween said projecting portion of the upper part of the rear wall and the lower part thereof to limit the movement of the slide, a spring between the base and the slide for normally urging the latter backwardly and holding said shoulder of the slide in registry with said projectin portion of the upper part of the rear wa l of the receptacle, and means on theiront wall of the receptacle adjustably spaced above the base for admitting a slice of bread of desired thickness to pass from beneath the stack on the fore part of the slide.

In testimony whereof I. aflix my signature.

w1L'roN VAN SICKLE. 

